


Just Plain Lucky

by daryl_is_mine



Category: markiplier - Fandom
Genre: F/M, I Tried, I'm bad at writing, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-07-18 07:06:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7304443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daryl_is_mine/pseuds/daryl_is_mine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few years ago, a brave stranger saved your life. You never saw their face or even heard their voice, but you still think about them every day. Little do you know, he lives down the street, and he's got one hell of a youtube channel.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>unfinished and 90% sure I'm not gonna finish it<br/>just keeping this up bc i don't wanna delete it lol sorry</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

You wake up with a cold sweat dripping down your back, and your heart racing. It takes you a couple minutes to calm down and recollect yourself from your nightmare. Three years back, you were with a couple of your closest friends - Vanessa, Gigi, Thomas, and Sasha - and having the best time of your life. Everyone finally finished their first year of college and you were all so happy to be over for the next few weeks. You forget who, but someone suggested going to an end of the year party and you agreed. Once everyone arrived, you headed straight to the drinks. Blood was pumping, alcohol was being chugged, and soon enough, you were wasted. Everything was a blur until you realized you were alone by the exit. All you truly remember was hearing someone say, "Come on baby, let's have some _real_ fun," and being pulled out into a pitch black alley. Your arms were gripped so tightly, they became numb and you kept shouting, "Stop it!" and "No!" Your skirt was being tugged and you felt hot hands gliding up your legs. Then, suddenly you were let go and heard grunting and cries. You assumed the painful moans were coming from your attacker and all you could think of was to say a quick, "Thank you," to the kind person who saved you. You couldn't see them but you could sense they nodded back to you, implying a "You're welcome". You ran back inside and looked for your friends who were all standing by the stairs. 

You sigh, laying back down onto your silk pillow. A buzz comes from your phone and you glance at it, but it's just an Instagram notification. You haven't told anyone else but your friends about that night. If your parents knew about it, they would make you move back home. But, ever since that party, Thomas has been acting way more protective than usual. He is a tall, muscular man, so you know he could easily protect you from someone. In fact, he even taught you some defense moves just in case someone approaches you unexpectedly. Lately, you have seemed more 'out of it' than usual. Normally, you would be out shopping with Sasha, bowling with Gigi and Thomas, or even making a pillow fort with Vanessa. You've been having that dream even more than before and you can't seem to figure out why. It didn't bother you as much then as it did now. You stare at the blank ceiling, wondering when you'll go back to sleep again, until you hear another buzz from your phone. You grab it and read **Thomas** across your screen. 

**Thomas** : i know its 4 am but i was wondering if youd like to go on a walk ??

Your eyes ached as you read the message but you quickly replied anyway.

**You** : sure

You sit back up and put on your flip flops, throwing your old, baggy university sweatshirt on over your head. Thomas lived next door from your new place. Since you finally finished collage two weeks ago, you figure that maybe you're more jittery because you're living in your own place now, even if you live with Sasha and Vanessa. You grab your keys as you walk out the door and lock it. Turning around, you immediately see Thomas' sloppy blond hair exit his home. "You look horrible," he chuckles while you walk down your porch steps toward him. "Did you get another nightmare?" His grin quickly turns into a pitiful frown and you roll your eyes.

"Yeah, but I'm alright. So, how did you know I'd be awake?" You ask and he sighs.

"For the past week you've been messaging me at that same time to come over." You look at the ground, realizing that he's not joking. "I just figured, you know?" He sets a hand on your shoulder. You and Thomas have been best friends since middle school and can always tell when something is wrong. 

"How is Gigi?" You change the subject and his smile comes back. Gigi and Thomas started dating about three months ago and decided to move in together. It doesn't really bother you and the other girls because then you're all neighbors.

"She doesn't know this, but I adopted a puppy. I get to pick it up in a week."

"Oh my god," you shout, immediately covering your mouth. "Oh my god!"

"I know! I think it's a girl but to be honest I forgot."

"Wow, you've already forgotten it's gender. What's next, you're going to forget you bought it?" He laughs at your sarcastic joke as you both walk next to each other down the road. You look over to your right and see a window covered by blinds, but you can clearly see someone next to a screen and for some reason, you smile to yourself.


	2. Chapter 2

After about an hour of walking in a giant circle, you see your home and sigh. You look at the same house from before with the closed window and notice the screen is now off. "Well, I'll see you later," you smile at Thomas and he grins right back. You quickly jog up your porch steps and unlock the door, waving to him before you rush into the house. After you shut the door again, you walk over to the fridge and grab a drink. Soon enough, you get bored again so you decide to sit on the front porch and sip away at your sweet beverage. For some strange reason, you feel a strong vibe from the house across the street, so you continue to stare at it. Before you know it, a light turns on in one of the rooms and you see a silhouette of a tall man with strange looking hair. Maybe it's messy because he woke up just now. Maybe he has a naturally spiky head. Maybe... Once a few minutes pass by as you make up strange scenarios as to why his shadow looked that way, you see the blinds being pulled up by big, muscular arms. Right as you're about to see the man's face, you hear a thud by the door. Your head quickly turns towards it and you see Sasha rubbing her eyes.

"What are you doing out here?" She asks and you turn your head back to the window, but the man is gone.

"Oh, I got bored," you admit and she sits on the arm of your chair. "Why are you awake all of a sudden?"

"Vanessa started snoring really loud again," she sighs and you giggle to yourself, remembering the time when she broke her nose. In 10th grade, Vanessa was trying to do a cartwheel but landed right on her face. She had to get surgery immediately, but the surgeon couldn't do anything to fix the horribly loud snoring. "Were you out with Thomas?" 

"Yeah, he texted me and asked me if I wanted to go on a quick walk. I guess he now wakes up when I do," you sigh. You feel really bad about Thomas having to take care of you, but you feel so safe around him. You also feel terrible for Gigi, because sometimes Thomas checks up on you more than Gigi. Thank god she doesn't mind it for now, but what about in the future? 

"Tommy would never do that for me," she crosses her arms and you chuckle.

"That's because you call him Tommy." Tommy is what his parents call him, and he dreads that nickname with a _very_ strong passion. A few minutes pass and you feel a hand on your shoulder.

"How have you been lately?" She peers into your face and you roll your eyes.

"I'm alright, really," you assure her and she frowns. She always knows when you're lying. "Oh, quick question," you change the subject and she has a look of confusion on her face. "Do you know who lives in that house over there?" She nods and you turn toward her in your seat. "Who is he?"

"His name is Mark. I ran into him when he was grabbing his newspaper. He's one funny guy, I must say."

"Oh, really?" You ask and she nods again with a huge grin on her face.

"You two would get along super well. I forgot to tell you but he told me to tell my roomies that if you hear yelling, it's because he likes to play these lame ass video games. I told him that since you like to play games, too, maybe you guys could play together sometime." Your mouth drops and you feel your stomach drop with it. Sasha should know by now that you don't take too kindly to strangers, especially male strangers. "Don't worry, I said I'd come with you."

"When were you planning on telling me all of this?" You practically shout and she shushes you, telling you to lower your voice.

"I said that I forgot to tell you. Sorry for being human," she says and you furrow your eyebrows. How could she just do this to you? She just randomly set you up to go to some stranger's house. Even if she'd go with you, she isn't strong enough to defend herself. It's quite embarrassing, to be completely honest. "He's hot," she smirks and you laugh.

"Oh really?" You scoff and she nods. 

"I'm serious, dude. His arms are amazing. But, his hair is very... red," she giggles and you do the same. "Not in the 'I have no soul' ginger sense, I mean 'primary color red' sense, and it's not even his entire head, it's just the top," she continues and all you can imagine is a disaster. She's most likely making it sound worse than it seems. "It looks so soft though."

"Okay, I get it, you have a crush on him."

"Are you stupid?" She blurts out and you give her a strange look. "You both would be perfect together! I'm trying to set you two up," she finally admits and you feel like your eyes are popping out of their sockets. "You're both attractive, dorky, and hilarious. It would be insane not to set you two up." You don't really know what to say. You're flattered that your friend thinks so highly of you, but at the same time, you feel vulnerable by the fact that this will be the first man you will ever date, especially after that whole incident beforehand. "So? Do you at the very least consent to this playdate?" You think for a little bit then sigh.

"Sure," you nod. You can't believe you're doing this.


	3. Chapter 3

"Aw, you look so dorky," Sasha giggles as you walk out of your room and you sigh. You wanted to go in your sweatpants, but she wouldn't let you. You know that she is just looking out for you, but seriously, can't she just let you go out in something comfortable? She practically forced you to wear one of your 'cute' outfits but you don't even know if this man is worth the trouble. "Oh my god, he's going to love you." You can't help but feel even more anxious because of her statement.

"Okay, I get it, he has low standards. Stop rubbing it in my face." Sasha laughs at your remark and you roll your eyes.

"Oh come on, you're hot," she chuckles and you feel your cheeks burn. The only time in your life that you truly felt hot was when you were in high school trying on prom dresses for the dance that you didn't even want to go to. You tried on so many dresses, you even tried a suit, and you felt, and looked, gorgeous in everything. 

"You are getting so good at lying," you smile, laughing at her and she grins with you. "Can you tell me anything else about this guy?"

"He's adorable, and his voice is really attractive." In your head, you can't help but imagine some bland, lanky white dude and you start feeling guilty but who can blame you? You never met him before and you can't really control what your mind instinctively tells you. "You guys will get along, I feel it," she shakes with excitement and you giggle to yourself. You haven't seen her like this since the last day of high school.

"Let's get this done and over with," you nervously breathe out. She nods and you both quickly walk out of the house. What if he's an ass? He most likely is if he's as hot as what your friend claims. But, then again, Sasha is really good at playing matchmaker, and she knows you prefer gentlemen over anything. Before you know it, you're both standing in front of his door and you press on the doorbell. Almost immediately, the door swings open and you can't help but laugh. You look up and notice that your friend was not lying. His hair _is_ very red. "Hi," you smile and the man in front of you does the same. "I'm Y/N." You feel your heart race when he sets his hand out for you to shake and you take it.

"I'm Mark," he chuckles, and his voice sounds like melting butter. Damn, he does have an attractive voice. "Come in," he opens the door even wider so both you and your friend can walk into his house. Well, he's off to a good start, you think to yourself. You can feel yourself already taking a liking to this stranger and Sasha snorts, pointing at your cheeks which are already flushed. "So, do you guys want anything to drink?" He asks and you nod. You silently stare at his gorgeous, brown eyes. 

"Um, sure. Can I have some water?" Right when you ask, you hear a bark and you jump at the unexpected sound. "What the fuck?" You shout and cover your mouth, causing the other two to laugh. An adorable golden retriever runs over to you, loudly breathing out of its mouth.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't tell you about Chica." He grins, grabbing a glass and filling it with the water you requested, and you sit down on one of the stools by the counter. "She's really friendly; she wouldn't hurt a fly," he chuckles and hands you the glass of water while Sasha sits down right next to you. You can't keep your eyes off of him and he unexpectedly looks right into your eyes, causing your heart to flutter. Why are you acting this way? You don't even know anything about this guy. He gently leans on the counter with his muscular arms and Sasha starts to open her mouth to say something.

"She's adorable," she smiles and sets her hand on the dog's head and slowly caresses it. Feeling embarrassed, you don't know what else to do other than nod, considering the fact that your first words to this guy consisted of the word 'fuck'. "Oh, yeah, so what do you do? For a living, I mean," she starts up a conversation, noticing that you're struggling.

"I work from home - I have a YouTube channel," he smiles and runs his fingers through his colorful mop of hair. For some reason your heart flutters. Before anyone notices how flustered you are, you take a big sip of your water. "Jeez, are you dehydrated?" He teases you and you can't help but laugh. "What do you do?" He asks and continues to look at you, as if he wants you to answer first.

"Oh, ha, I work as a waitress at the diner on Main Street." He nods as you speak, and then turns his head toward Sasha.

"Same here, except, I don't make half as much as she does in tips," she laughs and you giggle with her. "She's so nice to the customers, and you know about the homeless shelter across the street, right? She brings some of the croissants and coffee over there right before her shift begins." Mark's eyebrows raise and looks over to you again, and you can't help but feel embarrassed.

"You don't have to make me sound like a saint; it's just something that I like to do for them," you shrug.

"Come on, Y/N, you're, like, the nicest person I know," she unexpectedly says and you laugh to yourself.

"That's so sweet of you," Mark grins and you smile at him. 

"Thank you," you look down at the counter, your cheeks burning yet again. After a couple seconds, he suddenly speaks up.

"So, do you guys want to see where I work?" He asks and you both quickly nod.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is late. I kept deleting and typing different things and so this happened. Thank you guys so much for over 400 hits! I had no idea anyone would even consider reading this since it's my first fanfic ever. I really appreciate you guys! Thanks!

"So what kind of games do you like to play?" You speak up and Mark laughs as he shows you his office. It's kind of strange, the walls are covered with jagged squares of foam. You mentally shrug it off once you remember that the reason you're over here is because Sasha decided to schedule a 'playdate' with you and the adorable man. He looks back at you and shrugs.

"All of them," he replies and you smile with him. You look back and notice Sasha grinning at the both of you, standing in the doorway of his office. "I enjoy playing horror, but I will always love those stupidly comedic games. I do know that I am absolutely in love with _Five Nights at Freddy's_. What about you?" He smiles even larger than before, showing you his bright, white teeth. Your cheeks flush a bit but this time you don't try to hide it. You shrug just like he did before and he tilts his head slightly like a confused puppy.

"I love to play horror games, too," he looks at you with amazement with his gorgeous, brown eyes. Again, your heart flutters just like before, and you begin to feel embarrassed. Why do you like him so goddamn much? He pulls out a seat and turns it towards you. You have always thought that if a guy treats you like a true gentleman, he's perfect. Of course, this man is acting like a gentleman, making you like him even more.

"Please, sit," he insists and you nod. Once you sit down on the leather chair, he pulls out an extra seat from a closet behind you. You look over at Sasha again, but then she unexpectedly starts to speak.

"Well, I'm heading back to the house to see if Vanessa needs anything. Just text me if you need anything," she smirks and you feel your stomach drop. You suddenly begin a panic, but you try your hardest for him not to notice. What if this was just a façade? He could have been acting like some nice guy just to get closer so he could plan his attack. "I hope you guys have fun," she says and Mark waves to her as she begins to leave. All you think in your head is to somehow escape.

"I'm sorry for asking, but who is Vanessa?" He politely asks and you sigh at the unexpected absence of your friend.

"Oh, she's one of our best friends from high school that lives with us. She's, um, extremely nice and she's hilariously clumsy." His smile lights up the room and you feel a bit better, but your heart continues to race. "So, do you have any roommates?" You ask him and he shakes his head 'no'. "That's surprising. This house is really big just for one person."

"Don't forget about my Chica," he chuckles lowly and you can't help but join in; his laugh is contagious.

"I don't think I said this already but she really is a beautiful dog. I've never had a golden retriever, but I hear they're the most gentle dog. I don't know if it's true, but I read something that said they cold hold an egg in their mouth without it breaking." His eyebrows raise in amazement and he sits back in his seat.

"I want to know how people find this stuff out. Do they just think, 'Wow, my dog is so nice, lets see if she'll be nice to a little egg, too,'." After a couple seconds, you begin to laugh at his comment and he starts to look proud of his statement as you continue to giggle. He proceeds to laugh along with you, and he combs his fingers through his hair, and then you see his arms. His _arms_. You suddenly feel an emotion that you last felt when listening to your favorite band's latest album, but you can't figure out what this feeling is called. "Okay, can I say something?" His features soften and you cling to the chair with your free hand. His face begins to look more serious; you nod and he looks at the floor. "I feel like I've seen you before, or at least felt your presence..?" He slowly speaks but then rubs his eyes, sighing. "Sorry, never mind. That must have sounded dumb," he crosses his legs and leans on the arm of his chair.

"No, it didn't sound dumb," you shake your head and Mark looks slightly relieved. "I don't know if we've ever met before today," you shrug and he slowly nods, his cheeks flushing. 

"I'm sorry for getting weird on you," he chuckles and you grin. You've never met such a nice guy; other than Thomas, obviously. But, for some reason, you  really loved the fact that he'd apologize for the smallest things. 

"It's fine. I'm used to weird things, I live with two girls that are polar opposites." His eyes squint as he laughs at your comment. "Vanessa and Sasha get into the most random arguments."

"Like what?" He crosses his arms and you smile for the hundredth time.

"Well, Vanessa is a total neat freak. Everything has to be spotless. Sasha is just like me, she's lazy. She also hates cleaning with a passion. Basically, Vanessa is the mom of the house." Mark nods, closely listening to you speak. "One time, Sasha didn't put her glass on the coaster and all of a sudden you hear Vanessa screaming at the top of her lungs and she grabs the cup and slams it on the coaster. That fight was insane. But, sometimes the arguments aren't as funny, so I end up just heading over to my friends' house next door or I just go on a walk." He frowns as you slowly speak.

"If you ever feel like it, you can come over anytime you'd like," he replies. "I know we haven't known each other for long, but you seem like a nice girl."

"You seem like a nice guy, Mark," you give him a small, side smile. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Whatever you'd like, Y/N," he sits back and you set your hands on your knees. "I know you came over to play games or something but if you want to do something else, I'm cool with it."

"Do you have any movies we can watch?"


	5. Chapter 5

"I don't have a lot, but they're all on this shelf," Mark leads you over to his living room, revealing a tall, wooden shelf about your height. He leans on it, waiting for you to pick a movie. One in particular pops out at you and causes you to burst out laughing. In the middle of the horror movies, you see the colorful disc cover for Finding Nemo. "What?" He giggles at your unexpected laughter and tries to look towards where you're looking. You glance at his confused face until he finally realizes what you're chuckling at. 

"Let's watch it," you smile and he grabs it, looking down at you. You grin at him and he rolls his eyes. Once he turns around, you realize how close he was just now and you begin to blush. Mark puts the movie in the DVD player and right as you begin sitting down, you suddenly get the chills. "Um, do you have any blankets?" You quietly ask and he nods. 

"I'll go get one for you," he gives you a small smile before he leaves the room. You can't help but feel like a burden, but he soon comes back with a huge, fluffy blanket. "Here we go," he breathes out and plops himself on the couch, patting next to himself to signify where you should sit. "Sit with me," he fakes a frown and you giggle, sitting next to him under the blanket. "By the way, I talk a lot during movies, so if I annoy the hell out of you, just tell me," he says.

"I talk during movies, too," you reply as he pulls the blanket up to his shoulders. You can't help but look at his profile since he is just so damn adorable. You used to think that Thomas was the most attractive guy you've met, but Mark beats him by far. He suddenly meets your eyes and raises a brow.

"What?" He looks into your eyes and you immediately look away. "Oh come on," he jokingly shouts. "I hate when people do that." 

"Do you have the remote?" You change the subject and he nods, reaching for it from the nightstand next to him. He hands it to you and you take it, pressing the play button. "Thanks," you smile at him and he does the same to you.

"So why did you want to watch this movie?" He asks and you shrug.

"I don't know. I find it cute, and I like how bright and colorful it is," you say and he chuckles lowly, looking at you as you stare at the television. "To be honest, when I was younger I loved this movie. I'd replay it over and over again, and I'd never get tired of it."

"I like the movie and all, but I hate the ocean," he replies. Who can blame him? You used to be scared of the water, but after a couple years of swimming lessons, you grew to like it. 

"It is a pretty terrifying place, isn't it?" You say and he nods, slightly surprised that you didn't laugh at his fear. "But, you have to admit, the ocean holds some of the most beautiful creatures on this planet." Mark smiles to himself and nudges your shoulder with his.

"Still, fuck the ocean," he unexpectedly says and you feel your eyes widen, causing you both to laugh and he looks at the floor. The two of you sit back, watching the movie in silence, but your eyelids begin to get heavy and soon enough you're asleep, leaning on Mark's shoulder.

 

"Y/N, Y/N wake up," a deep voice soothingly whispers in your ear. You slowly lift your head up, and look over to where the voice is coming from. "You finally awake?" Mark asks and you set your head back on his shoulder, reluctant to get back up. He chuckles and pats your knee. "It's late, I should take you back to your place." 

"No, I'm comfy," you groan and pull the blanket up to your chin.

"So am I, but you must go back to your house. Your friends might be worried." You laugh at his comment and sigh.

"Sasha is probably happy that I'm still here," you say and you can sense his confusion. "Dude, she tried to set us up," you confess and he nods.

"Oh really?" He breathes out. You finally realize what you told him and you feel your cheeks burn. Why did you actually tell him? 

"I'm sorry," you sit up, taking off the blanket. "I should go," saying this, you stand up and he does the same.

"You know, if I had known this was a date, I wouldn't have just settled to watch Finding Nemo with you." He stands even closer to you, looking down into your eyes. You look down at your hands, but he smirks and lifts your chin up with this large, warm hand. You're at a loss for words, not knowing what to expect or what to say. "How about this, I'll take you out on a day you're free, and we'll do something much more fun than falling asleep during a Disney film. Alright?" He asks, his tone seductively low, and you nod. "Okay," he gives you a toothy grin and pulls his hand away. "Would you mind if I walked you home?" He asks and you shake your head.

"I'd love for you to take me home," you smile. He starts to walk out of the living room, and you follow him by his side. You haven't been this happy in a long time. Hell, that was your first time sleeping without a bad dream in a long while. He opens the door and stands to the side, waiting for you to walk out before him. "I thought you were going to be pissed," you admit and he snorts.

"Why's that?" He asks, shutting the door.   
"I don't know, to be truly honest," you shrug and he sets his hand on your shoulder.  
"Well, I'm glad you told me," Mark replies and you look up at him. 

"So am I," you say as the both of you walk across the street. Once, you reach the top of the porch steps, turn towards him. "I actually had fun just sleeping at your place," you laugh and he does the same.

"Maybe we can do that again some other time. I'm looking forward to seeing you again," he smirks and looks down at your pink lips. All of a sudden you hear the blinds on the window open and you see Vanessa and Sasha watching the both of you with huge smiles on their faces.

"Oh my god," you turn back towards Mark and hide your face with your hands. "Oh my god," you repeat, which causes Mark the chuckle.

"Damn, well, I'm guessing I should leave or else they will start screaming with joy," he smiles down at you and you feel your cheeks redden. "Have a goodnight," he says and begins to turn around but you grab his arm,  facing him towards you yet again. 

"Can't I at the very least get a hug?" You laugh and his eyes widen. Since when did you get so much courage? You were almost always shy, and now here you are, telling a man to give you a hug. You're relieved to see him nod and open his strong arms, wrapping you in them tightly. Once you move your ear to his chest, you're surprised to hear how fast his heart is beating; it's even faster than your own. After a couple seconds pass, you slowly pull away remembering where you are and who is watching. "It's cold out, you should hurry home," you say and he nods. 

"Goodnight, Y/N," he smirks, looking at you one last time before walking down the porch steps. 

"Goodnight, Mark," you shout to him and you can tell he is smiling. Soon enough your friends drag you inside, begging you to tell them what happened, but all you can say is, "I have a feeling I'm going to fall in love with him."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry I haven't updated in a while, some things came up and I just remembered to upload this crappy chapter. this isn't the best but I had a bit of writer's block so this ended up happening. thank you so much for over 600 hits! I'm surprised anyone has read this to be completely honest

The bright, yellow sunlight pours through the blinds, causing you to wake up, slowly opening your eyes and stretching your tired arms. You stare at the ceiling, wanting to go back to sleep, but you realize you've been asleep for who knows how long. Grabbing your phone, you see several text messages on your lock screen that all read of the same sender, Thomas. You yawn, unlocking your phone and begin reading all of the texts.

 **Thomas** : walk ??

 **Thomas** : hellooo?

 **Thomas** : Y/N are you ok

 **Thomas** : holy shit wait r u sleeping

 **Thomas** : if ur doing something stupid tell me pls

 **Thomas** : i hope ur sleeping because i'm exhausted

 **Thomas** : fuck it i'm going back to sleep

You laugh to yourself while sitting up to get out of the bed. You don't know what you'd do without your friends, especially when it comes to Thomas. He's annoying at times, but he always shows that he cares for you. After you reread his messages, you slowly drag yourself down to the kitchen, hoping that Vanessa set out some coffee for you, and luckily she did. You pour yourself a cup, until you notice a small, sticky note on the coffee maker. You sigh and rub your eyes, picking it up, trying to decipher the sloppy handwriting.

'Hope you had a great night's sleep dreaming about your new man. ;) Don't bother coming to the diner, Sasha called you in sick so you could take a day off -V'. A giggle escapes your lips and you roll your eyes, tearing the note into tiny pieces. Your friends are ridiculous. Right as you're throwing the ripped paper away, you hear a knock at the door, causing you to jump. "Coming," you shout, rushing towards the door. You look down and realize you look like complete crap, but you open the front door anyways. 

"Um, hi, I'm hoping this is yours," Mark says, and you feel your stomach drop. Your hair is a mess, you're wearing an extremely unflattering t-shirt along with your favorite sweatpants. He holds out his hand to reveal a faux diamond earring and you reach for your ears to check if it's yours. 

"Thank you so much," you grin and take the piece of jewelry out of his hand and steadily put it on your ear. "Where was it?"

"It was in the blanket," he replies, a small smile arising on his face. "Yeah, I found it this morning when I was folding it. I was just going to take Chica for a walk, so I figured I should give it to you now." You look behind him and see at the end of the leash is the adorable pup you cursed at yesterday. You can't help but feel embarrassed about how you shouted in his home only seconds after meeting him. "Oh, I just realized, I never got your number," he runs his fingers through his hair and you laugh at how often he does that. You hand him your phone as he hands you his own, and you hear him chuckle. "Nice outfit, by the way." Your cheeks get red and you smirk.

"Nice hair," you reply, and he sets his hand on his chest, giving you an offended look.

"Hey, now that was just rude." Once you both type in your numbers, you switch your phones back. "Well, I'd better get going or else Chica will get moody. I'll text you soon though, alright?" Mark grins, and you nod. "Great," he mumbles, taking one last glance at you before he begins to turn around. 

"Bye," you shout to him and you can hear his deep chuckle as he walks away. You haven't smiled this much in a long time, and although your friends are fun to be around, this man made you genuinely happy. The butterflies in your stomach go crazy as you walk back inside the house and sit down on the couch, covering your smile with your hands. How is this man making you feel this way already? You haven't even gone on an official date with him yet. Maybe you're just so excited to actually go on a date with such a great person that you're already falling in love with the idea of being with him. Obviously Vanessa and Sasha are okay with it, but how would Thomas and Gigi react? You sigh to yourself and rest your legs on the coffee table. You hear your phone buzz and you silently hope it's Mark.

 **Gigi** : who was that hottie @ ur door ???

 **You** : just the neighbor guy

 **Gigi** : um that visit was flirty.. omg ur dating him 

 **You** : lmao sure

 **Gigi** : dude omg omgg im so happy 

 **You** : k

 **Gigi** : did you not see how happy he was when he was leaving?

 **Gigi** : his smile was so fuckin biG

 **You** : sure jan

 **Gigi** : you did not just brady bunch my ass

 **You** : you should come over

Almost right away, you hear the doorbell ring. You quickly rush over and pull open the door to see a very excited Gigi. "What's his name? What does he do for a living? Is he nice? He's really attractive. How long have you been speaking? Why didn't you tell me?" She pushes you aside and sits on the couch, waiting for you to answer her questions.

"His name's Mark," you begin, shutting the front door. "He posts videos online." She snorts as you sit next to her. Only now do you realize how weird that sounds. 

"Are they saucy?" She raises an eyebrow and you feel your jaw drop. 

"Oh my- no! He's a gamer." She sighs with a disappointed look on her face. 

"Damn," she mumbles, looking at the floor. "I was looking forward to looking him up on PornHub or something," she groans. In your head, you kind of agree. Once you realize what you're thinking about, your cheeks flush and you cover your face with your hands, causing Gigi to smirk. "Have you guys, you know," she whispers and you gasp. You start to cough after breathing in a little too hard and she cackles at the sight. "Lord have mercy, I was only joking."

"You suck, I swear," you say once you regain your composure.

"Only for Thomas," she giggles and your cheeks start to burn yet again. "I'll stop with the innuendos. Onto the serious shit; is he nice to you?" She gives you a worried look and you sigh.

"Yeah."

"Have you told him?" You shake your head and she sets her hand on your knee to try and comfort you. "Hon, you should tell him soon. You don't want to become attached to a guy if you don't know if he'll want to deal with the side affects of your trauma." Not knowing what else to do, you nod. You understand that you'll have to tell him sooner or later, but you don't like reliving the memory when you talk about it. When you vent to your friends, you always feel the hot hands going up your legs, and you shiver every time. Gigi pulls you in for a hug, and you hug her back. You're so lucky to have these people in your life.


	7. Chapter 7

"So, has he asked you out yet?" Gigi asks while stuffing her face with some chips she found in your pantry. Embarrassed at how nosy she's being, you unlock your phone to go through tumblr. "Y/N, please, just tell me. I mean, you both are obviously crazy for each other." You shake your head, furrowing your brows and she sighs.

"Um, we've seen each other _twice_ ," you protest. How could he possibly be crazy for you when he doesn't know anything about you? "I seriously doubt he likes me that much." Gigi rolls her eyes at your statement and gives you a glare. Her phone vibrates unexpectedly and you both jump at the sudden noise. 

"Goddamnit, Thomas," she groans and rolls up the chip bag as she reads his text. 

"What did he say?" She snorts and you feel yourself getting even more confused.

"He said the smoke alarm is going off and he doesn't know what to do." You stand up off the couch, brushing the crumbs of food off of yourself and you grin. You are a professional dealing with this, considering you live with two girls that suck at cooking. The only thing they can make without burning the house down is ramen, mac and cheese, and frozen pizza. "What are you doing?" She asks and you start walking to the door with a smile on your face.

"I live with Sasha and Vanessa; I know how to take care of this," you reply, opening the door and running over to the next house. "Thomas?" You shout, walking into the house. All you hear is the smoke detector and you gag at the disgusting smell. 

"Y/N? Is that you?" Thomas yells back from the kitchen and you jog over. You immediately see the tall blonde waving magazines underneath the device and you can't contain your laughter. "Oh come on," he pleads as Gigi reluctantly walks through the front door to help her boyfriend. 

"What were you trying to make?" She asks, giving him a look of amusement and he sighs.

"I was trying to make pancakes, and then something happened and it happened so fast and-" he jumbles his words together as he quickly recalls what had just happened, causing you and Gigi to laugh even harder. The smoke alarm stops beeping and Thomas stops, obviously relieved that it didn't continue any longer.

"Wait, Y/N, you said you knew what to do," Gigi interrupts and you nod. "Why didn't you do anything?" 

"But he looked so funny, I didn't want to ruin the moment."

"Are you guys fucking kidding me?" Thomas growls at the both of you and Gigi giggles.

"Aw, he's angry," she smiles as she walks over to him, and stands on her tip toes trying to plant a kiss on his cheek. Whenever they're together, you always notice just how tall he really is. He is 6'3 and you quickly imagine how short Mark would look standing next to him. Even though Mark is a decent amount taller than you are, you can't really think of him being able to take down a guy like Thomas. But, you must admit, he has  _really_ nice arms. Just the thought of them makes your stomach flutter and you smile to yourself, looking at the wooden floor. "Earth to Y/N, you there?" She asks, pulling you out of your little trance. 

"What? Oh, yeah, here," you reply, not really knowing what to say. They chuckle at your reaction and your cheeks flush.

"Thinking about Markimoo?" A confused look plants itself right onto Thomas' face and your mouth drops open. To be honest, you wanted to wait until you were officially dating Mark to tell him. He's been way more protective and if he felt you were being pursued, he would most likely try to rip the person apart.

"Who?" He asks and you suck in, holding your breath. 

"Gigi-" You try to speak up but she interrupts.

"The guy that lives across the street. You know, the guy I would totally date if I weren't dating you already."

"Wait, the dude with the fire head?" She nods at his question and you feel the embarrassment just crawling up the inside of your chest, and basically forcing an awkward laugh out of your mouth. 

"Admit it, they'd be super cute together," she squeals and claps her hands together. He has a stern look on his face and you look away from him, not knowing what to do.

"The only way I could admit that is if I physically saw them together," he coldly replies and turns around, cleaning up the mess of the charred breakfast. There's an awkward silence and Gigi bites her lip, her habit when things become uncomfortable. "So, Y/N, weren't you supposed to work today?" He changes the subject and you nod, thankful that he didn't elaborate on the now-previous conversation.

"Yeah, but the girls let me have the day off and called me in sick." You smirk to yourself, remembering the note they left you on the coffee machine. Those girls have no boundaries.

"Isn't your boss strict as hell though?" He asks, and Gigi walks around the kitchen island and onto a stool, waving you over for you to sit next to her. You comply and sit in the other stool and Thomas turns around again, facing the both of you. 

"He may be a prick, but he does have a crush on Vanessa, so we can basically get away with murder as long as she stands up for us. Don't you have to work today?" He shakes his head as he leans on the countertop. 

"My boss told me I deserved a vacation day," he grins. "She said I was the only person doing my job perfectly."

"So she gave an employee that was doing the given tasks as they were supposed to, a free day? I need to learn how to do whatever it is you do," you laugh and he chuckles with you. Only now do you realize how quiet Gigi is being and you nudge her shoulder with your own. "What's wrong?" You ask and she looks up at the both of you.

"Just imagining what your future wedding will be like, that's all," she jokes and you groan. Not this again.

"I have to ask you this, and I know you'll get annoyed with me," Thomas sighs and you set your head down on the counter. 

"Oh my god, Thomas. Yes, he's nice to me. No, he hasn't done anything to hurt me in any way." He knows how frustrated you get when he asks you questions, but he feels obligated to do so. He's practically your big brother.

"I just want to make sure you feel safe," he argues back and you feel Gigi rub your back to try and calm you down.

"Damn, Thomas, I wish you were this protective over me," she tries to throw in a quick joke, but it doesn't really help the situation. 

"Can I say something?" You lift your head up again, to see that he's nodding. "I just met him yesterday. Sasha set us up to hang out and she left his own house to just the two of us. He had so many opportunities to pull some shit, but he didn't. Hell, we were watching a movie and I fell asleep. Not only is it amazing that I was capable of falling asleep without having that nightmare, I woke up completely untouched and perfectly fine. He didn't do anything to me when I was the most vulnerable." After your little speech, Thomas finds himself speechless, and you can't help but feel like you've accomplished something big. "So, unless you actually hear or see me in trouble, don't assume that the same thing will happen to me again.

"I'm sorry for worrying so much, but we still don't even know the man that attacked you. We don't know if he moved, if he's in prison, or if he is the same man that lives across the street. So, I apologize for being 'too concerned' for your safety." All you can do is roll your eyes and you get off of the stool and march out of their house. Just to spite Thomas, you storm across the street, and towards Mark's house


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i haven't been updating, school started early for me this year and it makes me mad >:(   
> anyways, i hope this is tolerable for the moment

Right as you begin to knock, you remember that the last time you saw him, he was getting ready to take Chica out. Although it was more than an hour ago, you can't help but think that he might like to go on really long walks. You sigh, getting ready to leave, but you hear loud footsteps stomping towards the door and it opens. "Y/N? What's up?" Mark smiles with a confused look on his face and you feel a wave of relief wash over you. Sensing your anger, he instinctively furrows his eyebrows and setting his hand on your shoulder. "Are you alright?" You shrug and he gently tugs you into the house. "Here, come inside," he says as he quickly shuts the door and leads you to the nearest seat, which is a stool in his kitchen. Should you just tell him about what happened years ago, or should you just tell him that your friends got into another fight? You continue to debate your thoughts in your head and you just burst into tears. "Woah, woah, woah," his voice wavers in concern and he wipes your tears from your cheeks. Without thinking, you start rambling.

"Okay, I don't want you to think I'm a handful or emotionally unstable because of what I'm about to tell you and I hope you'll at least consider liking me as a friend-"

"Calm down, take a deep breath," he interrupts, trying to calm you down but your heart continues racing. "Now, what were you going to say?" Staring into his worried eyes makes you feel extremely guilty, but you know you have to tell him; especially after hearing Gigi's lecture.

"I, I was at a party with my friends a couple years back. It was a college party; we were just supposed to have fun. You know, drinking, dancing, the whole shebang, right?" He nods, now leaning on the counter next to where you're sitting. At this point, you're just worried about what he'll tell you. Maybe he'll ask you what you were wearing, or if you were making moves on the man first. "I remember standing in the back of this room and, h-he pulled me, this man pulled me. He took me outside by this alleyway and he started grabbing at me," you continue bawling and you cover your face in shame. His face looks so sad, but you still don't even really know what he's going to say after you speak. "Before anything truly horrible happened, someone threw him off of me." Mark's face drops for a second, but his frown comes back almost immediately. He gently takes your hands, signifying for you to continue speaking. "I never ran so fast in my life," you chuckle but he doesn't laugh with you.

"You're going to be okay," he mumbles, and pulls you into a hug. Your tears keep falling as you tightly wrap your arms around him, and you can feel how fast his heart is beating. Why is it racing? You both pull away at the same time and he sighs, obviously about to ask you a question. Preparing for the 'were you flirting' or 'were you dressed skimpy' questions, you hold your breath. "Have you seen a counselor, or spoken to anyone about this?" 

"Wait, what?" You breathe out, not expecting that question.

"If you'd like, I can help you look for one." You suddenly let out a nervous laugh and he tilts his head, extremely confused.

"I didn't expect you to ask me that," you admit, rubbing your eyes and wiping your tears off of your cheeks.

"Well, I'm extremely unpredictable," he jokes and you giggle at his comment. "Have you told your family at all?" You shake your head. "Y/N," he sighs again and you shrug.

"They'll force me to move back, and I love it here."

"But they deserve to know," he calmly argues back and you groan. 

"I know, I know, but they will tell me shit like 'if you stay there the same thing will happen again', and I know that isn't true," you say and he looks at the floor.

"It could happen anywhere," Mark replies in frustration and you roll your eyes.

"It's not like it's guaranteed that it will happen again," you raise your voice and regret it right away. "Sorry, I'm sorry," you say before he can reply as you set your head in your hands.

"Well, anyways, you can always talk to me if you need to, alright?" You nod and a huge grin appears on his face. "Call me whenever you'd like."

"I'll probably call you all the time then," you laugh and he giggles like a child, running his fingers through his hair. This adorable habit makes your heart flutter and you blush, looking at the floor. You were probably overreacting earlier when you were telling him about what happened, but you're grateful for the fact that he showed you sympathy instead of disgust. "Sorry I came over so abruptly, by the way," you say and he rolls his eyes.

"I told you before that you could come over when you wanted to. I'd just be a dick if I didn't let you in," he chuckles.

"I should probably get going, I don't want to intrude," you calmly stand up again and he sighs.

"Honestly, I don't care if you stay any longer. You can do whatever you'd like," Mark flashes you a grin and you gently punch him in the arm.

"Yeah, yeah," you jokingly brush him off. As you start walking towards the front door, he rushes next to you. You can't help but feel butterflies in your stomach at the fact that he _wants_ to be near you. He actually wants you to be okay and feel safe. Thomas, Gigi, Vanessa, and Sasha are your best friends, but Mark feels different, and definitely in a good way. "So, I'll see you whenever, right?"

"Sure," he chuckles, opening his arms to give you and hug, and you do the same. He holds you in a warm embrace, and slowly pulls back, looking into your eyes. A few seconds pass until you both realize how long you've been gazing at each other and look away at the same time. "So, uh," he awkwardly clears his throat and claps his hands together, "so if you'd like you can text me a day your free, alright?" No matter how many times he asks, you don't even get annoyed. 

"Okay, bye Mark," you smile and open the door, walking out of it. He grins at you and waves, watching you jog down to your house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this isn't the greatest chapter :(   
> I didn't really know if I should just lay it on him or not so I just wrote what came to me  
> anyways, thank you guys so much for all of the kudos!


	9. Chapter 9

A few, short hours pass as you sit on the couch binge watching Toddlers & Tiaras. After your conversation with Mark, you felt so relieved and you can finally relax. It's been a long time since you hadn't felt so stressed out, and it feels good. Your shoulders don't tense up, your hands don't get sweaty, and your neck is no longer as stiff as a piece of cardboard. Maybe you should see a counselor, considering how free you feel after just talking about it with him. You sigh, rubbing your eyes after looking at the screen for so long. Right as you begin to stretch your arms, the door opens and you jump at the unexpected noise. Sasha and Vanessa tumble in, laughing with their high-pitched voices. "And I told him that I'd rather be eaten by a zombie than go on a date with him," Sasha giggles and Vanessa screeches with amusement. That was a story you've heard millions of times, so you don't even bother to ask what they're talking about. "Oh? You're not at Mark's?" Sasha teases in an innocent tone and you can't help but roll your eyes.

"Nope, but I was earlier. I told him." Both of their faces drop into worried glances. "Don't worry, he was so nice about it." They're obviously relieved by your news and they both smile at the same time. "So how was work?" You change the subject and they both snort. 

"Your favorite asshole was there," Vanessa cackles and you sigh. She's talking about this 50 year-old man named Winston who is extremely rude. If you don't do exactly what he says, he won't give you a tip. "He was asking about you."

"And what was he saying?" You ask as they both take off their jackets and sit with you on the sofa. 

"He's so damn nosy. He was wondering where you were, if you were sick, and he even asked if you were visiting family." 

"Maybe you should get a restraining order," Sasha chimes in as a joke but you consider it for a quick second. Lately he's been kind of creepy. He likes to ask questions about you and your life, which coming from other customers is normally polite, but his questions are borderline creepy. When you lost your virginity, if you're still a virgin, and if you're dating anyone. You always lie and tell him you're dating just to get him off your back, but something tells you he doesn't believe you. But, you might not have to lie about it for long considering how well you and Mark get along. "Thomas texted me while we were working. What happened?" You groan, still annoyed at your best friend.

"He speculated that Mark could be the guy from the party and I got mad. I stormed over to Mark's house right after just to piss him off." The two girls groan at your reply and you shrug. "Thomas was being an asshole so I had to do something."

"Yeah, but going over to Mark's just to make him angry was just childish. You should only go over to his place when you want to see _him_ rather than spiting others." You know what Vanessa said is true, but he even said you could come over when you felt the need. Vanessa's argument is invalid.

"Okay, okay," you sigh, pretending to take what she said into account. "Can we talk about something else?" 

"Like what? When you and Mark should finally go on your first date?" Sasha teases and you feel your cheeks redden. You want to go out right away, but you don't want to annoy him. "Why not tomorrow?"

"I can't, I have work tomorrow," you sigh.

"Not anymore, the big boss said he's leaving town to visit his mom."

"Is she getting any better?" You ask and they both shake their heads.

"No, she might be moved to a nursing home soon. He said she forgot her own identity until he basically gave her a history lesson about her entire life." Your heart breaks just by listening to what your friend says. As you feel an immense amount of guilt weigh down on your shoulders, your phone vibrates unexpectedly. You reach for it, and immediately smile to yourself, reading Mark's name across the screen. The two girls look at each other, quietly giggling as they realize how much you actually like this man. 

 **Mark** : do you have work tomorrow??

Your heart begins to race as you read his text and you feel your chest tighten with excitement. "Guys," you squeal, "he asked me if I'm working tomorrow."

"Well we just told you that you don't, so hurry up and tell the man," Vanessa jokingly shouts at you and you comply right away.

 **You** : nope, why?

 **Mark** : don't be coy, i think you know why ;)

"We're going on a date," you yell and your friends shout with you. This will be your first official date with a guy. In high school, you'd go with some guy to a movie or the library, but it wasn't actually called a 'date' by either one of you.

"Where?" Sasha asks and you shrug.

"No clue," you admit, but you don't really give a crap about not knowing. He could take you skydiving and you'd be happy with just being around him. 

"Ask him."

 **You** : where are we going?

 **Mark** : it's a surprise

"He won't tell me," you tell them, but they both roll their eyes. 

"What are you going to wear then?" They both ask and you shrug again.

"I'll ask if we're going anywhere fancy," you say to try and please your friends.

 **You** : a girl's got to know what to wear for a date. anything fancy??

 **Mark** : do i seem like the type of guy to take a girl anywhere fancy?

"Nope, nothing fancy is happening," you say and they both put their thinking faces on.

"You should wear ripped jeans and a flannel shirt with that graphic tee I bought you from Minneapolis," Sasha suggests right away and Vanessa scoffs.

"No, she should wear the bomber jacket with the white tee and black skinny jeans." Sasha sighs and you can't help but laugh at how serious they're taking this. It's literally just one night of your life.

"How about I just wear black jeans with the graphic tee and a zip-up?" You interrupt and they groan. 

"You always wear that, though," Vanessa speaks up and Sasha nods her head in agreement.

"Yeah, but its the perfect compromise. Also, I doubt he'll give a flying fuck," you snap back, sounding harsher than you wanted, but they get the point. 

"Fine, but you have to send us texts throughout so we know you're okay."

"I was planning on doing that before," you smile at them, appreciating how much they care about your wellbeing. 

"So, are you going to get dressed at all today, or what?" Vanessa teases and you look down at your outfit. "Didn't you say you were at Mark's? Did you go there looking like that?" She snorts and you nod. 

"I was at Thomas' before, and I got so mad, I wasn't thinking straight."

"I never think straight," Sasha smirks, causing you to cackle. Sasha came out as bisexual in junior year of high school and literally no one was surprised. She would always check out her classmates, not caring about what their gender was as long as she thought they were hot. One time, she had a huge crush on her biology teacher, who was this 30 year-old Hawaiian woman who was absolutely gorgeous. She looked as if she could've been related to Maggie Q. 

"You always know when to make a gay joke, don't you?" Vanessa sighs and you giggle.

"Excuse you, I'm bi, not gay. There's a difference," she sasses back and you roll your eyes in a joking manner. Right when you're about to join into the banter, your phone vibrates again which plants another grin on your face.

 **Mark** : quick question, pizza or burgers?


	10. Chapter 10

**You** : hmm how bout burgers

 **Mark** : okie dokie :)

"Guys, he just said okie dokie," you squeal, smiling at the screen. The two girls grin as if they're children opening presents on Christmas morning and you can't help but feel proud. Not a lot of people find friends who are so involved and who are so happy. 

"You say okie dokie all the time," Vanessa giggles and you nod.

"Yeah, but its way cuter when he says it." 

"You are too cute, I can't take it," Sasha gushes as she uses her hands to squeeze her own cheeks. "I love love," she mumbles and you laugh at her sudden confession.

"If you love love so much, maybe you should find someone," you say and she rolls her eyes. 

"I may love love, but I love one-night stands even more," she shrugs and you crinkle your nose. You've never really liked the idea of sleeping with strangers. Maybe it's because you're a virgin. You just can't understand why someone would have sex with someone they don't love, let alone know.

"Of course you do," Vanessa sighs and Sasha groans at her. 

"What's wrong with liking sex?" Sasha defensively asks and you rub your eyes, tired of your friends' fights.

"Nothing," Vanessa squeaks and you know this is going to get loud.

"Obviously something is wrong. Can't a woman enjoy life?"

"Life isn't about sex," Vanessa shoots back and you stand up, rushing up the steps to your room. Not knowing what else to do, you take out your phone and start texting Mark.

 **You** : y do people fight so much

 **Mark** : vanessa and sasha?

 **You** : yeah

 **Mark** : ooh tell me

You giggle at his nosiness and quickly respond to his text.

 **You** : its kinda weird

 **Mark** : pls tell me im bored

 **You** : theyre fighting about sex

 **Mark** : um what

 **You** : ill call u one sec

You quickly switch from the messaging app to the phone app and tap on his name. After a couple rings, he answers and you hear his sexy voice. "How can they fight about that?"

"So Sasha was talking about love and then she said she liked one-night stands, right?" He responds with a quiet 'mhm' and you continue. "Okay, so then Vanessa groaned and Sasha got offended." After about two seconds, you hear him chuckle which causes you to laugh with him.

"I'm going to assume she's saying stuff like, 'why can't a woman love sex?'" You laugh at the accuracy of his assumption and you mentally applaud his guess.

"Exactly that," you snort and he giggles like a little girl. The last time you were laughing like this on the phone was four nights before your high school graduation. You and Sasha were gossiping about a girl who flirted with every guy in your class and ended up getting pregnant with one of the most disrespectful guys in the school. You both were laughing at the thought of the baby coming out swearing like a sailor.

"Wow," he breathes in and you don't know what to say. 

"Sorry, I felt like telling you instead of texting."

"Oh no, its fine. I like hearing your voice," Mark sweetly replies and you blush at his words.

"Please," you sarcastically respond and he chuckles.

"So, I know that we made plans to go tomorrow, but maybe we can go get dinner tonight, too?" He suggests and you nod until you realize he can't see you. 

"Yes! Sure, okay," you smile and feel your heart race. "Where should we go?"

"How about the pizza place just north of here? I can drive us there," he asks and you nod yet again. Realizing the awkward silence you're making, you quickly reply.

"Yeah. Sorry, I keep nodding," you confess and immediately face palm. Why did you tell him that? After a few more minutes of speaking, you both say your goodbyes for the time being. In a state of euphoria, you lean back on your bed waiting for the right time to get ready.


	11. Chapter 11

You wake up, smiling as you remember you are going to see Mark tonight. Mentally, you scold yourself for taking a nap and you reach for your phone to look at the time. 6:42. You quickly stand up and walk over to your overflowing closet. Sweatpants or ripped jeans? You hold up the two totally different pairs of clothing and sigh to yourself. Maybe you should actually try to look decent. As you think about what to wear, the two girls you live with are still screaming at each other. They both love each other, they really do, but they spend too much time together. When you were in high school, you three decided to have a whole week of sleepovers and they fought for the last two days. They need a break. You groan, not understanding why you get along with them so well and yet they fight a ton. The sound of Sasha's screech takes you out of your short trance. You give up and decide to wear some sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt from your college. As you set the clothes on the bed, you tie your hair up in a bun so your hair doesn't get wet in the shower. 

After about fifteen minutes, you walk out and pull the clothes on. You already know the girls will tease you because of your outfit, but you don't really give a crap about what they think  anymore. As you think to yourself, your phone vibrates and you quickly grab it.

 **Mark** : not to sound pervy but next time u might want to close ur blinds

Your heart stops and you look out the window and see Mark sitting on his porch waving at you.

 **You** : omg that is so embarrassing

 **Mark** : haha only ur back showed so ur good

 **Mark** : ready yet?

You look down and brush off your clothes until you realize your purse is downstairs. Practically stumbling, you race down the steps and find your purse on the kitchen table, but your wallet isn't in the inside pocket. You always leave it in there, so when you notice its gone, you start to freak out.

 **You** : i can't find my wallet

 **Mark** : its fine i can pay

You groan to yourself because you don't want him to pay and because you don't know where it went. Sasha and Vanessa are standing right next to the front door, still screaming like there's no tomorrow. You turn around, open the back door and slam it shut so they know you left. Mark is still sitting on his porch when you walk across the street and he gives you a sweet smile. "Let's go," he says, standing up and leading you to his black Jeep. He opens the passenger door for you and you can't help but blush. Somehow Sasha picked a hot gentleman for you after having one conversation with him while he was getting his newspaper. How did she do it and why wouldn't she take him for herself?

"Thank you," you say, smiling at him before he shuts the door.

He jogs around the front of the car and gets in. "You look comfy," he grins and you feel embarrassed at how bad your outfit looks. 

"Sorry, I wasn't in the mood to dress up," you admit and he casually sets his large hand on your knee. 

"To be honest I woke up in my outfit so I think you're okay," he smiles and you giggle at him. Only now do you realize he's wearing a tight red sweatshirt and plaid blue pj pants. 

"I think you beat me in comfort and style," you tease and he smirks as he pulls out of the driveway. 

"Of course I did. I'm the style queen, baby," he shouts. You laugh until you feel your phone buzz, and you see  **Vanessa** across the screen.

 **Vanessa** : u could've j said u were going to leave

You groan and Mark looks at you with confusion. When he pulls up to a stop sign, you show him her text. "How could you? Weren't they screaming?" He quickly defends you and you feel proud of the fact that he would defend you so fast. You nod at his question and he continues driving as you reply to Vanessa's text.

 **You** : how lmao 

 **Vanessa** : by telling us.

 **You** : i would have to scream louder than u 2

 **You** : i don't really feel like losing my voice before seeing mark lmao

A quick comeback floats across your mind, but you know you shouldn't type it considering you barely know Mark. As much as you'd like to send her 'id prefer losing my voice moaning marks name', you decide not to. Self control, you remind yourself.

 **Vanessa** : we weren't that loud

"She just said, 'we weren't that loud'," you repeat and he snorts, pulling into the parking lot of the pizzeria.

 **You** : if u weren't that loud i would've told u but lol ok

You groan and open the door. Mark jogs around the car and walks next to you until you reach the entrance. He awkwardly rushes to open the door for you and you can't help but giggle at his movement. "So, do you want to share a whole pizza or do you just want a slice?" He unnecessarily whispers in your ear.

"How about a whole pizza because I can eat whatever you don't finish," you laugh, but in your head you're completely serious. You can eat two pizzas, but that is only because Vanessa and Sasha always order a ton and yet they don't finish their slices. They never eat leftovers and you can normally stuff your face until the pizza boxes are empty. And yet, considering how much you eat, you have a very nice figure.

"What do you want on it?" He chuckles and you smile.

"Just cheese is fine," you reply. 

"I'll order and you can find a seat, okay?" Mark asks and you nod. The both of you high five and you separate from him on your own mission. Not knowing where he'd like to sit, you choose the biggest booth you can find and sit right in the middle. As you wait, you know he's going to love where you picked. After about three minutes, you see an impressed Mark carrying the pizza over to you. "Why did I know you were going to sit here?" You shrug and he scoots in right next to you. Your eyes widen in excitement as you look at the gooey cheesy perfection seated right in front of you. After the two of you grab your slices, he breaks the silence. "When did you move here?" 

"Well, I've technically lived in that house for a year, but I've lived in this town for about four years. And you?" You ask, taking a bite into your food.

"I moved into my house two years ago, but three years ago I used to live on Gaslight," he replies and you feel your stomach drop. Gaslight Avenue was the street that you were on the night of your incident. You try to cover up your anxiousness and nod along to his voice. "Worst street to live on, to be honest. Frat parties, sororities, it was horrible. Never got a full night of sleep," he chuckles. A second passes until his face drops and realizes what's wrong. "You okay?" He asks, setting his hand on your back and you fake a smile at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," you say and he peers into your face. 

"Um, were you ever part of a sorority?" He awkwardly asks and you snort.

"That's funny," you laugh and his face softens; a smile forms on his face as he looks at you. "I actually pledged for one," you admit, an embarrassed look on your face.

"And?"

"Well, it's a long story," you giggle, trying to cover your face but he takes your hand away and holds it on his lap. 

"We've got all night," he smirks, waiting for you to tell him your embarrassing story of how you flirted with the sorority leader's boyfriend during one of the 'Hell Week' games.


End file.
